House on Mango Street: Esperanza's Journey of Self-Discovery

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Recommended: Analysis of the character of Esperanza in House on Mango Street

In class we read the book House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, the main character Esperanza lives in a lower working class neighborhood and street called Mango Street dealing with poverty. Her house is an important symbol in House on Mango Street. It represents Eperanza’s process of maturing as a person and the change in her perspective of poverty and struggle being shameful, to it being something to embrace and use as motivation. This is a very important part of the story because it is in many aspects where we are from that make us who we become. This is interesting to see in the book as her opinions and perspective of things inside and outside of her neighborhood are shaped by her experiences. At the beginning of the book, Esperanza is shameful of the financial status of her street and house. She showed this when she said “I knew I had to have a house. A …show more content…

A big reason for her wanting to do this is because she has been in that situation before and she knows how it feels to not have money to afford a nice house. “People who live on hills sleep so close to the stars they forget those of us who live too much on earth. They don't look down at all except to be content to live on hills. They have nothing to do with last week's garbage or fear of rats.” This quote shows how she doesn’t like the way that upper class distance themselves from the lower working class so when she gets successful she probably wouldn’t want to do the same. “One day I'll own my own house, but I won't forget who I am or where I came from. Passing bums will ask, Can I come in? I'll offer them the attic, ask them to stay, because I know how it is to be without a house.” This quote solidifies the statement that she knows how it feels and wants to help out people that were in her

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